Integration is also important on a purely musical level. In fact, the more time I spend listening, the more I think that there might not be anything else. If we look for inspiration to come as something entirely new, we'll probably be disappointed. It's much better to think of music as the result of a massive number of synthesizing moments, with each new product a potential basis for further bonding. It's also apparent to me that the more grounded an artist is in her or his particular discipline, the more likely that artist is to be able to fashion it into something original. But the process is a slow one, requiring patience. As William Blake put it, "Eternity is in love with the productions of time." And so am I, when they sound like Joni Mitchell, Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius playing "In France They Kiss on Main Street": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7MCf7Ga3wc

Bright Size Life (1976) was Pat Metheny's first album as a leader. He was twenty-one at the time of its recording. It features eight original compositions and one by his mentor, the free-jazz saxophonist Ornette Coleman. The rhythm section is Bob Moses on drums, who plays brilliantly throughout, and the nonpareil bassist Jaco Pastorius, who provides his usual combination of virtuosity and thoughtfulness. Like many of Metheny's works, the record has a heartland theme (he's from a suburb of Kansas City), with titles such as "Missouri Uncompromised", "Omaha Celebration" and "Midwestern Night's Dream". You can definitely hear it in the music. It's open and spacious - the sonic equivalent of a long highway drive. The album foreshadows Metheny's career: the writing, the adventurous and unique playing, the generous roles he supplies to his collaborators. And what a career it's been. Without question, he'll be remembered as one of the very greatest of all jazz guitarists - one of the greatest of all jazz musicians, in fact. For an introduction to his work, this is the album.